Author: Editor

By now, most working professionals are well aware of the rules that have come to define corporate-appropriate presentation: Skip flashy designer logos, steam blouses and dress shirts, avoid open-toed shoes, and if it’s described as “office siren,” ditch it altogether.There is another detail, though, you might be overlooking when getting ready for the office: your phone case.To Michelle T. Sterling, an image consultant and personal stylist with over 20 years of experience, a phone is similar to a pair of shoes or a watch. It’s an accessory.”It’s an extension of your outfit,” she said. “Just like having well-groomed nails is…

The arrival of fall means pulling out the pumpkins, moody autumnal colors, and cozy throw pillows.However, while some fall decorations can make your home feel warm, elevated, and inviting, others can border on tacky.Seasonal decor can also be expensive, so investing in a few timeless pieces that will last from year to year can ultimately save you money in the long run. “A lot of times, I feel like the holiday decor is disjointed from what the aesthetic is of the actual home that you live in. It should be cohesive, in my opinion,” Ashley Childers, an interior designer and home…

Oil jumped above $100 per barrel on Wednesday as escalating fighting in the Middle East raised fears of further supply disruptions.Early in European trading, Brent crude, the global benchmark, tipped above $100, and by around 9:40 a.m. ET, was trading at $100.90 per barrel. The move above $100 was the first since July 24.At the same time, WTI, the US benchmark, was at just below $96 per barrel.Brent has climbed about 25% since early August as hopes for a lasting end to the six-month US-Iran conflict have faded. American forces attacked Iranian tankers after Tehran tried to strike a US…

Some people dream about breaking free and building something of their own.The big question is: When’s the right time to take the leap?For starters, you might be feeling disenchanted with your current role.”I thought I could do better,” Kara Swisher told Business Insider’s Dan DeFrancesco during a talk she gave to newsroom staff.Before launching the media brand Recode, Swisher made a name for herself as a reporter at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, eventually coproducing and cohosting The Journal’s “D: All Things Digital” conference series, which later became Code Conference.When Swisher eventually went independent, she said her risk…

The AI race is getting more complicated.Despite the hype around the latest and biggest frontier models, companies are finding they don’t always need the most powerful approach for every task. As open-weight models get better, cheaper, and easier to customize, there’s more pressure on frontier model companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to develop features that retain customers. That’s creating a new set of tradeoffs for businesses between cost, control, and security.In an interview with Business Insider, Aaron Jacobson, a partner at New Enterprise Associates whose portfolio companies include Databricks, Factory, and Together, said that he sees this debate at the…

At Anthropic, Kristen Swanson’s role is to help people get better at using AI.Often, that means knowing when they should do the work themselves.”I have a job teaching people how to use AI, and I probably spend at least half of my time telling people when not to use AI,” said Swanson, who leads AI fluency research and learning at the company.The savviest AI users, she said, aren’t necessarily those who rush to it for every task. What sets them apart is their judgment about what to delegate.That’s becoming an increasingly important workplace skill as AI finds its way into…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Keltie Knight, a 44-year-old, Emmy Award-winning Canadian television personality, host, and bestselling author based in Los Angeles. It has been edited for length and clarity.I started my career as a professional dancer, moved to New York at 18, and became a Rockette. I started making YouTube videos, documenting my life backstage and in music videos. When my body started breaking down, I realized I needed to find a new career.The only other thing I could do well was talk, and I loved show business, so I moved to LA. Someone in…

In this file photo from 2024, Pennsylvania poll workers demonstrate how ballots are are received, processed, scanned, and securely stored. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly. The idea of federal law enforcement seizing ballots in the middle of an active election would have once been considered impossible. Now, as President Trump continues his unprecedented hunt for voter fraud, ballot seizures and search warrants are scenarios voting officials and the legal community are actively preparing for. One state election official, who did not have permission to speak…

Homebuilders once loved the Sun Belt. The warm, welcoming states in the lower half of the US offered ideal conditions for those in the business of selling new homes: good jobs, low taxes, vast suburbs, and a steady stream of movers. When housing demand took off in 2020, builders saw bigger dollar signs and began cranking out new construction across the Sun Belt at a feverish pace.Lately, though, the region has brought them nothing but heartache. No states better encapsulate the housing headspin of the past half-decade than Texas and Florida. The boom times, which lasted until mid-2022, were wild:…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mike Smith, president emeritus of The Brokerage Inc., an insurance marketing organization. Smith has been in the insurance industry for nearly three decades. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.I’ve worked in health insurance since 1993, selling health, life, Medicare, and long-term-care coverage. In that time, I’ve watched the market change dramatically.Employers used to be able to choose among eight to 10 health insurance companies, with another 10 knocking on our door. Now, they’re largely choosing among four or five big carriers.At the same time, healthcare costs have soared.…